Ep.125 When Protected Wildlife Becomes A Public Threat

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Until this is Hunt Opening Podcast.
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I'm your host and rookie guide, Ken Murray.
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I love everything hunting, the outdoors, and all things associated with it.
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Welcome to the podcast.
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I can't say how much I appreciate the guides and gals listening to this podcast and sharing it out.
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That seems to be the best way to grow it.
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Thanks to you guys sharing it out so fast.
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This week I'm real excited to share this one with you because we're talking with the Brandon Quare of Alaska.
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And this is probably one of the most unique animals so far that I've had the opportunity to talk to somebody about on the podcast.
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We are talking about sea lines.
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Brandon's going to tell us a story about two giant sea lines that were basically terrorizing the small fishing builds in Alaska until dispatching these ones.
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But it's not as easy as we think of these animals, these are two animals.
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And it was interesting to get the full story from.
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And along with that, we're also going to talk about some more animals in Alaska.
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You know, we could talk a little bit about ticket deer, the moose steel hunting.
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Waterfall hunting there.
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It was really interesting to uh to learn about a new area for me and uh talking about that.
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It's a super great guy and tell us one heck of a story.
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Um I think I got to really get into it.
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Also, for a lot of areas now, uh my area special tool is uh people have found out whether they want to be watery or not for a specific tag that they have put in for it to be drawn.
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Um and I know that my area of fendo today that a lot of people are going to be going uh boots hunting.
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Some excitement, some disappointment, that's all part of the fun.
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I'm lucky that I will be going with a friend of mine on a moose hunt here.
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And if you are going booth hunting, don't forget about Pro Expedition.
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Pro Expedition has lots of moose minerals and attractions to help bring those boots in, set up the cameras, and see what's coming in.
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And Pro Expedition is gonna help you get that.
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And also, if you're gonna be doing some archery hunting this year, uh check out hooligan archery products, use code HUNTON2026, all caps, all one word.
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You're gonna save some money at checkout, uh getting uh broadheads, arrows, chaps, everything.
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One stop shot, you're gonna love it.
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Checkout and it's really top quality and uh guilt to show on there.
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Howl is attached them and uh you know the broadheads called that's the tattooing through steel into bricks, you name it, they're gonna be able to handle it.
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So if you do happen to make a wrong shot on an animal and hit a shoulder blade or something like that, you know what?
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You're still in good hands.
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That arrows that broadhead's gonna take care of itself.
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Uh let's talk to Brandon.
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Oh, and if you are looking to get a hold of us to maybe come on the podcast or suggest somebody for it or just reach out to me, you can email me at Huntsonoutfitting at gmail.com or you can find us on Facebook, Hunts on Outfitting, or find myself on there, Kenmair.
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Feel free to reach out.
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Some of you guys have been.
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It's been great talking with you from all over.
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Um yeah, so Brandon, you are uh I've talked to people from all over North America.
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Um, you are the first person I've had on from Alaska.
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You're in Alaska, right?
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Oh, yep, I am.
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Yeah, that's uh that's really cool.
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So what part of Alaska are you in?
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Yeah, it's a good question.
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I'm in Southeast, and so uh I mean I'm located out of Petersburg, which is about 100 miles south of Juneau, 100 miles north of Ketchikan, a real recognizable towns.
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And uh we're actually funny enough, so we're closer, so in Southeast Alaska, we're closer to Seattle than say like the interior, Fairbanks.
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I mean, even I I think it's about the same distance to Anchorage as it is to Seattle from us.
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And so it's a pretty massive state.
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And so I'm based out of Southeast though.
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Oh, okay.
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Yeah, yeah.
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Yeah, that's cool.
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Um, so what what do you uh what do you guys know?
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Is the you guys known for anything in that area?
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Or yeah, so you know what?
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In Petersburg, we're uh we're really known for commercial fishing.
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Most of the Southeast is commercial fishing, but uh Petersburg itself uh is a uh a massive working boat town.
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We have all sorts of uh halibut fishermen, salmon fishermen, um divers, crabbing, you name it, we have it all.
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But um, we're also pretty well known for uh well pretty well known for our outdoors here.
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We have all sorts of guides.
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I'm I'm a guide myself, so I take people out fishing and uh I do waterfowl guy uh trips as well.
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Oh and uh fly fishing, saltwater, we do it all.
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But yeah, so we're we're pretty well known for our working boats, though.
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We have massive harbors.
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Right.
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Yeah, yeah, I figured.
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Um so what what kind of waterfowl do you guys mainly hunt there?
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Like what kind of is it just ducks?
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Do you guys have geese as well?
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Like I wasn't sure what kind of went up to Alaska.
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Yeah, so it's uh we we get all sorts of ducks.
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We get uh we get we get your kind of run of the mill sea ducks.
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Well, I say run-of-the-mill, but they're they're pretty incredible.
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So we get like tarlequin, long tail, um all all sorts all sorts of stuff.
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And then uh we get all we get a lot of uh diverdling ducks, and so we get all like the pod uh the pond ducks, and then we get geese, we get um the greater and lessers, we get snow geese, sandhill cranes.
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I mean, we get tons of tons of birds.
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Oh, you guys got sandhill cranes up there.
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Oh man, we have a massive migration of sandhill cranes.
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Yeah.
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Okay.
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Yeah.
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So we're based right on the Stakina uh on the Stakine um flats and uh right at the mouth of the Stakine River.
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And so we have it's a massive flyway up into uh the interior actually interior BC.
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Oh, okay.
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Yeah, that's uh yeah, that's cool.
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I did not know that.
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It just I thought I was thinking of the more like um prairie birds, I guess you could say.
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Oh, fair enough.
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We get grouse too.
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That's we get tons of grouse, but uh that's really kind of the only like quote unquote prairie birds we get around here.
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We uh no pheasant, no quail.
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Yeah, yeah, no, I didn't think you guys had that.
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Yeah, no, that's right.
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That's cool.
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Um so I'm excited too, because we're gonna talk about an animal that I've uh trying to think if I've ever seen one in person, maybe, but uh know absolutely nothing about.
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And you know, I came across you from I saw an article I think on Facebook or something like that.
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It just popped up of you guys with this massive uh sea lion, right?
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Is it sea lion?
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Yep, there's a sea lion.
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Yeah, so tell me for those of us that don't know, listening to this and myself, tell me a little bit about the sea lions and like what the population's like there, you guys' interaction with them, and just a little bit about the species itself.
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Oh, totally.
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So sea lions are a pretty interesting animals, so they're uh uh so uh you you most people know about like harbor seals and everything, they're they're 300 pounds maximum.
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Well, our sea lions get get up to anywhere from uh anywhere from 1,500 to 2500 pounds of the on the huge end.
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So I mean they're they're big animals.
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And uh as far as like the fit uh their the uh the the way their bodies uh the body is is uh if you look at their skull compared to a brown bear skull, their skull, their skulls are almost identical, except the sea lions oftentimes is bigger because they get bigger than brown bears.
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Right.
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And so yeah, they're pretty super interesting animal.
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They uh they they live, I think, up to 30 to 40 years old on average, I think they uh on average.
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And uh yeah, they mostly mostly live off of salmon, uh halibit, whatever, whatever fish they can get, herring.
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But um, and they're actually a protected species on under the Marine Marine Mammal Protection Act, the MMPA.
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But under the under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, there's there's a clause in there that says the Alaska natives of a quarter blood quantum blood quantum or more uh are able to harvest uh marine mammals for cultural use, subsistence use, um, and uh and foods or whatever it might be.
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So uh that that would that's what allows me to hunt like sea lions, seals, sea otter, marine mammals, and uh and so that's uh and so the sea lions, I'm normally I'll I'll get maybe maybe one a year.
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And uh the the form of cast.
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The one that you're referring to is a little bit more of a special case there.
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That was uh that was a pretty special case.
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Yeah, yeah.
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Well, I'm excited to get into that, but before we get right into that too, so I just want to talk.
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I mean, some people are like, well, why would you harvest these?
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But if they're living to be that old and they can get that big, I'm guessing they don't have a lot of predators besides maybe some sharks and orcas.
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Uh I'm sure they need to be managed, right?
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They 100% need to be managed.
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And so the the idea with it is that uh killer whales, orcas are really the only only thing that uh predates them.
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I mean, we don't uh every once in a blue moon, you'll get a great white, uh you'll get a white shark coming up around like Prince of Wales and Ketchcan area.
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And we have some historical data saying that they do come up.
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And uh and the Quinket people, my people, have it have actually had interactions with them, but not nearly as much as like say the Washington, Oregon, or California coast.
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And so really the only thing that predates them is the killer whales, the locus.
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And so we have massive amounts of them around here.
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I mean, there's there's I'm sure anyone that's anyone that might be living in like California or or Washington or Oregon knows sea lions are per are everywhere, and there's and there's almost like an overpopulation of them.
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Up here in Alaska, we don't have necessarily the amount of overpopulation, but we still have a really, really large uh large quantity of them around.
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And um, and that's a that's relatively new uh a newer idea.
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So without um back in the 70s and 80s, you hear about these uh human records that largely were empty, and there wasn't weren't that many there.
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And um and I believe the Marine Mammal Protection Act went to uh went into effect in like 1971 or something like that.
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And so ever since then, uh they they came under uh and and the blood quantum stuff was put in for Alaskan natives, um the numbers just rebounded.
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I mean, we have some real really healthy salmon runs, really healthy habitat, and so they just started driving.
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And so uh yeah, I mean they they started really booming, and that's where it was also kind of a lost traditional practice of harvesting sea lions, no one really ever harvested them.
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And so when I when I was growing up and you hardly heard about it, but traditionally, I mean, traditionally we would, but just no one ever really did for a long time.
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Huh.
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Okay, yeah, that's interesting.
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I said I don't know much about that part of uh of the world, but it I I found it really cool.
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So yeah, you keep you keep adding in anything you're thinking because uh I'm I'm really soaking it up and learning.
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So um dumb I figured that.
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I figured they would being that size and everything, they wouldn't have much for predators except for the killer whales, the orcas there.
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Um so uh how much being that size, how much fish are these things going through a day?
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Oh, that's a great question.
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You know, I don't have the number off the top of my head, but I mean they could probably um I know that like sea otters, for example, which have a little bit faster of a metabolism and they're significantly smaller, they have to eat half their body weight at least and shellfish a day, a shellfish a day, and that's for and that's for an 80-pound animal.
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And so sea lions significantly larger.
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They uh they do have they do have pretty good fat stores, and so I'm sure that they they just gorge themselves on whatever they can and uh build up that fat for the so for the skinny season being the wintertime when the salmon aren't running as much.
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But um, I'm I'm sure they're they're probably eating a lot dozens.
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Yeah, they're eating dozens of salmon a day, if not more, if not more when they're able.
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Yeah, yeah.
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So I mean, definitely need to be managed.
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Uh, I know the fishermen in my area here, like with the steels, um, they're it's really becoming a problem.
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And we're like where I'm at uh on the East Coast here in New Brunswick, and then also Nova Scotia and Canada here, we're having uh I wouldn't say a problem per se, but we're definitely getting an influx of great white sharks.
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And a lot of that I think has to do with the the steel numbers.
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They're they're through the roof.
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Yeah.
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And the fishermen are uh they're getting they're they've they've opened up a hunting season on them finally.
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It's still by draw, but they have because uh you know our politicians have realized that this is going to impact the fishery.
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Oh, 100%.
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100%, yeah.
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Uh that's insane.
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More great white sharks up by New Brunswick.
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Yeah that's a that's a little ways north.
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Yeah, it is.
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Um it's crazy.
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Uh I had a guy on the podcast, and this guy that he knows, his dog, they were out uh duck hunting on the on the water there, and his dog was actually killed by a great white shark.
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Never in a million years would he ever think that would happen, right?
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Here.
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Yeah.
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But um, yeah, no, that the shark number's going up, and I think it's uh they're saying it uh most likely has to do with the amount of uh seals.
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Yep, yep, that's the thing, is that everything needs to be managed and it's gonna get it's gonna get managed one way or the other.
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But that's uh that's just insane.
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Yeah.
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Um so alright, so we got a little uh history and a little bit about the sea lions.
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So so tell me the story about like how why I would come across this, because I mean I found it on Facebook.
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I was like, that's really neat, but um what is there's a little bit of a story on this big monster that you guys got.
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Yeah, totally.
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So I think I really just gained attention because I think it was for the most part a first.
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Like it was in straight, it was pretty a pretty cool idea just a massive animal.
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We uh so uh a little bit of context, we uh I had heard that there's problem sea lions down down at our harbors here, and there are signs posted everywhere saying day danger, sea lions, uh be aggressive sea lions.
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So watch out because we do not recommend, and the city put out an or uh announcement, we do not recommend that small children or uh or uh dogs be walking on the dock there because those sea lions are starting were starting to get aggressive and stalking people, they're lunging, trying to grab one, and then when you have an animal that's bigger than a brown bear with uh that's being aggressive, aggressive like that, it's a real problem.
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So they'll they'll stalk people?
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Well, not normally.
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These ones were there.
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So there's two of them that were.
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Yeah, but there's one that was huge that was stalking people, and another one that was smaller, and they're just getting aggressive.
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I mean, we've had problems with sea lions in the past where people were feeding them.
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Yeah.
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And uh there's actually a story when I was a kid that uh there's a man there's a man that was baiting up uh some commercial fishing gear sitting on the edge of his boat, and that a sea lion that had been fed jumped up and grabbed him, and from the middle of his back got down below uh down below his buttocks, uh it completely tore it, tore him.
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And 77 stitches completely, and he just had a hip replacement, so he had to go get that hip rub uh fixed up and almost drug him into the water.
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That is insane.
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Really?
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Yeah, yeah.
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So I mean they're just not in the wild, they're I mean, in the wild, they're pretty even keeled temperament.
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I that they really won't bother you all that much, but fit but uh these sea lions that are hanging around the harbors, that there's just like a bear that's been that's been too socialized to people, they just kind of lose that fear.
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Yeah, and then they're dangerous, yeah, yeah, absolutely.
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Exactly.
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Yeah, so these uh so, anyways, back to back to this big sea lion and uh the sea lion story.
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I uh I've been hearing about it, and so I called up our chief of police because we're a small town of about 3,000, and I asked him, I said, uh, I hear you're gonna put down a sea lion as any way I can get part of the hide once you're done, because I didn't want the entire thing going to waste.
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And he goes, better yet, he's like, Do you just want to go take care of the problem yourself?
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He goes, There's way less paperwork for me to do to uh to get get your permit to shoot within city limits than there is for me to get a permit from Noah to go to go take care of these nuisance sea lions.
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I was like, let me clear my schedule.
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So uh yeah, we ended up clear clearing the schedule.
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And uh next day I brought my brother out with me, and uh we launched this little skiff that we that uh we had, and we looked like three hours for the sea line for these sea lions, and we couldn't find them, and we were about to call it a day.
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Well, I get a call from the chief of police who had actually just gone out deer hunting and was pulling back into the harbor when he saw that when he saw the sea lions.
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He goes, They're in the harbor, they're in the harbor, call me up, and he's that's no, no hello, no nothing.
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Just like hurry.
00:16:55.120 --> 00:16:56.559
So I raced over.
00:16:56.960 --> 00:16:59.120
And uh I guess I raced over.
00:16:59.200 --> 00:17:00.799
Well, one of the problems sea lions popped up.
00:17:00.879 --> 00:17:04.079
There's a smaller male that been that had been harassing people, jumping all over the place.
00:17:04.319 --> 00:17:13.440
I pulled up and I was using a 4570 with uh 405 grain bullet from about it's a hit, but from about 10 yards away.
00:17:13.519 --> 00:17:14.640
I mean, it was right there.
00:17:14.799 --> 00:17:20.960
I pull up, I put one right behind the fear, and uh and it didn't it didn't kill it right away.
00:17:21.119 --> 00:17:22.799
It dove, and I was like, what?
00:17:23.119 --> 00:17:30.640
I mean it's uh 10 yards away from a 4570 and it popped back up and I got got a had a follow-up shot on it, just toast done right there.
00:17:30.960 --> 00:17:35.759
When he popped up though, was he with it or uh not much.
00:17:35.920 --> 00:17:43.759
I mean he was definitely on his way out, but it was just like I still you you know you're a I you're a hunter, you probably understand.
00:17:43.839 --> 00:17:45.200
You don't want him to suffer no matter what.
00:17:45.279 --> 00:18:00.319
So that's why I was just like, I put put another one in his head, and I was all patting myself on the back and patting my brother, patting my brother on the back, and you're like, ooh, we took care of it, and all of a sudden I hear, and there's the big one, and I look over because there's people by that at that point we had a small crowd watching us, unfortunately.
00:18:00.799 --> 00:18:05.839
And I mean they're kind of off to their side, and uh I turn around, and there's this big feeling.
00:18:06.079 --> 00:18:06.799
It was a problem one.
00:18:07.200 --> 00:18:08.880
It was both of them were problems.
00:18:08.960 --> 00:18:12.720
This one was the scary one, though, because he was the one that was jumping up and lunging at people.
00:18:12.880 --> 00:18:25.920
And uh there's a video that I saw the day before um uh of uh of him and all start up and all beat up, and the chief of police were trying to get uh we're trying we're trying to use non-lethal to get him out of the harbor.
00:18:26.240 --> 00:18:29.039
Well, they tased him at one point the day before I shot him.
00:18:29.200 --> 00:18:36.079
They didn't yeah, they tased it, but one of the chaser farms got stuck in him and the other one bounced off.
00:18:37.200 --> 00:18:38.319
That's crazy.
00:18:39.039 --> 00:18:40.319
They hardly even phased him.
00:18:40.559 --> 00:18:44.960
I think they even shot him with like a beanbag shotgun and uh all sorts of non-lethal.
00:18:49.200 --> 00:18:49.839
Yeah, yeah.
00:18:49.920 --> 00:18:51.680
I mean he was already he was already there.
00:18:52.079 --> 00:18:52.960
Beanbag done.
00:18:53.279 --> 00:18:53.920
Yeah, yeah.
00:18:54.400 --> 00:18:58.960
He was angry, so uh that's where I pulled up, waited for him to go out in an open spot.
00:18:59.039 --> 00:19:05.200
I uh it took me a little bit of waiting because I was like, I there's million dollar boats all around me, and I'm like, I'm not gonna take a shot next to a million dollar boat.
00:19:05.359 --> 00:19:05.839
Yeah.
00:19:06.160 --> 00:19:08.640
And so I waited for him to circle out.
00:19:08.799 --> 00:19:12.160
He circled right out in the middle of the open, and I put one right in the top of his head.
00:19:12.319 --> 00:19:13.680
I mean right in the top of his head.
00:19:13.839 --> 00:19:18.640
Now the other sea line, if I when I did that, it kind of dove but didn't thrash or anything.
00:19:18.720 --> 00:19:20.720
It kind of it was on its way out.
00:19:20.799 --> 00:19:22.640
This one, it just pissed it off.
00:19:22.799 --> 00:19:23.119
Really?
00:19:23.359 --> 00:19:24.640
It started ramming, yeah.
00:19:24.720 --> 00:19:27.759
I mean, it started ramming boats, ramming the docks.
00:19:28.079 --> 00:19:29.440
Yeah, it was insane.
00:19:29.839 --> 00:19:30.079
Cow.
00:19:30.640 --> 00:19:31.119
That is insane.
00:19:32.240 --> 00:19:34.640
Yeah, it was it I I've never seen anything like it.
00:19:34.799 --> 00:19:39.039
It was going crazy, and I couldn't get a follow-up shot on it because it was just moving too fast.
00:19:40.240 --> 00:19:42.079
You didn't want to shoot someone's boat.
00:19:42.400 --> 00:19:43.200
Yeah, exactly.
00:19:43.359 --> 00:19:45.279
And that like I didn't want ricochet or anything.
00:19:45.359 --> 00:19:47.680
I was in the middle of a harbor, which is in the middle of town.
00:19:47.920 --> 00:19:50.799
And so ended up Exactly.
00:19:50.960 --> 00:19:57.599
So it's raming stuff, and uh finally uh it got really right right behind this uh big commercial fishing boat.
00:19:57.759 --> 00:19:59.440
My brother jumped up on the commercial fishing boat.
00:19:59.519 --> 00:20:05.680
I threw the 4570 to him, and he pulled right up above it and pulled the trigger and uh point blank and it did the trick.
00:20:05.920 --> 00:20:08.880
And uh and that's when we realized how much we screwed up.
00:20:09.119 --> 00:20:11.839
It was like it was like this thing's gigantic.
00:20:11.920 --> 00:20:14.400
And we were looking at it and we had a game plan.
00:20:14.480 --> 00:20:18.240
So the game plan was we had this big J hook that was we call a shark hook.
00:20:18.319 --> 00:20:20.079
Yeah, and so we used that to land big halber.
00:20:20.160 --> 00:20:22.000
We'll put it through the halbert's mouth and then pull them in.
00:20:22.079 --> 00:20:23.200
That usually doesn't go anywhere.
00:20:23.359 --> 00:20:25.599
It was brand new one though, so razor sharp.
00:20:25.839 --> 00:20:28.720
I tried putting it through its mouth and it wouldn't put penetrate the cheek.
00:20:28.960 --> 00:20:30.799
Really just that tough skin.
00:20:31.599 --> 00:20:32.640
It was that tough.
00:20:32.880 --> 00:20:47.119
And so we ended up uh I ended up having to reach into its mouth, which is terrifying, and just uh with uh with a Victorinox, which is like a razor blade, and cut through it, cut a hole in its mouth and uh run a line through.
00:20:47.200 --> 00:20:50.960
And the idea was to tow it over to this crane dock and use the crane to pick it up.
00:20:51.039 --> 00:20:52.640
Well, my skiff couldn't tow it.
00:20:53.039 --> 00:20:56.160
I I didn't I thought it for sure to be able to do it, but but it couldn't.
00:20:56.319 --> 00:20:57.680
So I was like, well, what do I do now?
00:20:57.759 --> 00:21:05.839
Well, we ended up getting the uh harbor security skiff, which is a little bit bigger, bigger skiff, a little bit bigger engine, and uh and the city didn't let me use it.
00:21:05.920 --> 00:21:14.720
So I towed it over to the crane and uh had my dad operating the crane because only Alaska natives can it can can help out help out with this process unless we had proper permitting.
00:21:15.039 --> 00:21:33.279
Well, so we get it over to the crane, and I dropped my brother off at the other sea lion, he's skimming out the other sea lion while I'm dealing with this big one, and uh we start lifting it out of the water, and uh the idea was just barely lift it out of the water enough so its fins are out, and I'm able to get a lifting strap underneath its fins that way we can pick it up and deal with it when it's up there.
00:21:33.359 --> 00:21:36.160
Well, we lifted it out of the water, I'm underneath it just enough.
00:21:36.240 --> 00:21:38.880
I'll put the strap underneath its fins and the line snapped.
00:21:40.880 --> 00:21:44.559
And and all of a sudden, 2,000 pounds is falling down right in front of me.
00:21:44.799 --> 00:21:49.519
And so I push away from it just in time, and it just sunk like a rock.
00:21:49.599 --> 00:21:52.799
I mean, it was like all the way down the bottom fast.
00:21:52.880 --> 00:21:54.640
And I was like, Well, there it goes.
00:21:54.799 --> 00:21:59.279
And I looked up at my dad who's operating the crane on the top of the dock, yeah, and I go, What do we do?
00:21:59.359 --> 00:22:01.839
And he goes, We made every reasonable effort.
00:22:02.559 --> 00:22:05.599
Nothing else we can do, which is what the law says for harvesting animals.
00:22:05.759 --> 00:22:06.640
And I was like, well, I guess so.
00:22:06.720 --> 00:22:08.079
I was like, well, take care of the problem.
00:22:08.160 --> 00:22:08.799
I'll see you later.
00:22:09.039 --> 00:22:10.480
It's a crab bait now, I guess.
00:22:10.640 --> 00:22:12.799
And so I was gonna, I was helping my brother out.
00:22:12.880 --> 00:22:14.799
I went back over to him, helped him skin out the other one.
00:22:14.880 --> 00:22:17.119
Well, I get a phone call from our chief of police again.
00:22:17.279 --> 00:22:18.480
He's all excited.
00:22:18.640 --> 00:22:20.400
He goes, I got a diaper on it.
00:22:20.480 --> 00:22:21.440
I'm like, you what?
00:22:21.599 --> 00:22:22.720
I got a diaper on it.
00:22:22.880 --> 00:22:23.920
He's all excited.
00:22:24.079 --> 00:22:26.799
And uh it was insane.
00:22:27.039 --> 00:22:28.160
He sounds like a great guy.
00:22:28.240 --> 00:22:29.759
He sounds like a lot of fun.
00:22:30.000 --> 00:22:31.920
Oh, he's he's honestly a blast.
00:22:32.079 --> 00:22:34.240
He's a good he has a he has yeah, he's a cool guy.
00:22:34.319 --> 00:22:36.640
But yeah, he called me up and said he got a diver on it.
00:22:36.799 --> 00:22:48.480
He got special permission from Noah, National Oceanic Administration, uh, and whatever administration, and uh the people that that manage it, and they gave us a special permission to hire a non-native diver to help us with the retrieval of it.
00:22:48.720 --> 00:22:54.400
And uh so sure enough, it took us to call him three divers, and on the third diver, he ended up saying yes.
00:22:54.559 --> 00:22:57.039
Well, it turns out this diver had history with the sea line.
00:22:57.200 --> 00:22:57.359
Really?
00:22:57.519 --> 00:22:58.559
It pinned him to the ground.
00:22:58.720 --> 00:23:01.039
Yeah, so we had harbor projects going on the year before.
00:23:01.119 --> 00:23:05.279
Yeah, that same sea lion had pinned him to the ground and held up held him under for like a half hour.
00:23:05.599 --> 00:23:06.240
What?
00:23:06.559 --> 00:23:10.720
Yeah, so he was more than happy to get the dead sucker up there.
00:23:10.960 --> 00:23:15.680
Oh yeah, he was he was just stoked that to hear that we uh hear that we took care of it.
00:23:15.920 --> 00:23:22.799
And so he ended up strapping it up, we lifted it out of the water, and those are the pictures you see of me and my entire family next to the sea lion.
00:23:22.960 --> 00:23:26.240
I mean, the other one was about five to six hundred pounds, we assume.
00:23:26.319 --> 00:23:27.920
So it was a big animal, really big animal.
00:23:28.079 --> 00:23:28.240
Yeah.
00:23:28.480 --> 00:23:31.119
That was the the bigger one I got was about two thousand.
00:23:31.759 --> 00:23:32.160
Wow.
00:23:32.799 --> 00:23:34.319
Maxed out the crane.
00:23:34.799 --> 00:23:35.839
That is crazy.
00:23:35.920 --> 00:23:46.799
And to have an animal like that size, just so it was terrorizing, but like stalking them and like so if somebody was going with a small kid or a dog, like would they in like they were in real danger.
00:23:47.119 --> 00:23:47.839
Oh, 100%.
00:23:48.160 --> 00:23:55.200
I mean, most people were in real danger when they got around it, but it it it would definitely it was looking for something small to uh to make a meal out of it.
00:23:55.359 --> 00:23:57.440
So it really it would have yep.
00:23:59.680 --> 00:24:02.000
So a dog would do, you know.
00:24:02.319 --> 00:24:04.400
Oh, a dog would do the trick for it, I guess.
00:24:04.559 --> 00:24:07.279
And uh what's crazy is I was talking with people.
00:24:07.359 --> 00:24:12.960
I mean, you know, you have this happening, and all of a sudden the stories start coming out of the woodworks about like letters people had it built.
00:24:13.200 --> 00:24:17.759
And it I wasn't I I wasn't doing it to like get gain a bunch of attention or anything like that.
00:24:17.920 --> 00:24:27.839
It was more of just like the community has a problem and I want to help help out, and it just turned into a big deal where people were coming out of the woodwork talking about the their their encounters with it, Todd telling me how grateful they were for it.
00:24:27.920 --> 00:24:31.680
So it did it did feel pretty good, you know, being like, man, it's helped out the community.
00:24:32.160 --> 00:24:34.400
You didn't want to be, but you were you were the hero.
00:24:34.559 --> 00:24:35.200
You and your brother.
00:24:35.359 --> 00:24:35.519
Yeah.
00:24:35.680 --> 00:24:38.960
You know, you guys were I mean, this was this was a monster, right?
00:24:39.039 --> 00:24:44.079
You guys were you could say modern day dragon slayers, right?
00:24:44.480 --> 00:24:46.240
Yeah, exactly.
00:24:46.720 --> 00:24:47.119
Yeah.
00:24:51.119 --> 00:24:54.000
I mean, taking on a beast like that, that's crazy.
00:24:54.079 --> 00:25:01.440
I mean, uh I I've never I don't think I've ever I don't think I've ever seen one, but just just a I mean they're beast.
00:25:01.839 --> 00:25:04.720
Now an orca, would they struggle with one of them?
00:25:04.799 --> 00:25:10.400
I think I saw this thing, maybe it was on the Discovery Channel or something, saying that like the orca is going after them.
00:25:10.559 --> 00:25:16.319
They've got to be careful because if they get bit by one, it's it's gonna do some damage.
00:25:16.720 --> 00:25:17.519
Oh yeah.
00:25:17.680 --> 00:25:19.599
It 100% will do some damage.
00:25:19.680 --> 00:25:29.039
And what's really incredible about it is uh is they're those killer, those orcas are so intelligent though that they they figured out how to get them.
00:25:29.200 --> 00:25:36.400
And so what's funny about it is uh we have a bunch of buoy, navigational buoys around our town, and the sea lions jump up on those navigational buoys.
00:25:36.559 --> 00:25:43.359
Now, I don't know, have you ever seen those uh have you ever seen those videos of uh orcas in like Antarctica knocking seals off big big ice flow?
00:25:43.519 --> 00:25:43.680
Uh huh.
00:25:43.759 --> 00:25:44.720
So they'll make a big roll.
00:25:44.880 --> 00:25:47.920
Yeah, they'll do the same thing, same thing to our navigational buoys here.
00:25:49.119 --> 00:25:50.319
It's incredible to watch them.
00:25:50.400 --> 00:25:58.799
They'll knock them off and uh yeah, and eat them that way, or else they'll uh they'll teach our young, they'll actually toss them back on top of those navigational buoys and teach your young how to do it.
00:25:59.039 --> 00:25:59.920
Yeah, I've seen that.
00:26:00.000 --> 00:26:04.880
They're they're so intelligent, they'll show their young, like, look, when they're up on here hiding from you, you can still get them off.
00:26:05.039 --> 00:26:14.880
Or I've seen them them go and they'll go if they're up on ice, they'll go straight towards the ice and then they'll go under and they'll make this big wave and it'll crack the ice and they're teaching their young to do that.
00:26:15.039 --> 00:26:16.160
I mean, that's smart.
00:26:16.400 --> 00:26:16.720
Exactly.
00:26:17.759 --> 00:26:19.200
Yeah, but oh, it's incredible.
00:26:19.279 --> 00:26:27.759
But yeah, no, those are really the only thing that uh predates them, and I and the only thing that'll really mess with them, but like you're saying, they still gotta be careful because those are big animals.
00:26:28.000 --> 00:26:28.640
Yeah.
00:26:29.119 --> 00:26:29.359
Yeah.
00:26:29.519 --> 00:26:39.599
So I mean, how strong their bite must be just incredibly strong because they said if they do manage to get a bite at an orca, that orca is gonna be it's gonna be in some pain.
00:26:39.839 --> 00:26:43.359
Oh man, you know, I um I ha I had the number off the top of my head.
00:26:43.519 --> 00:26:46.559
I can't I can't remember it right now, but I mean their bite force is huge.
00:26:46.720 --> 00:26:52.720
I mean, their cheeks are just m are massive, and uh their teeth, their teeth are bigger than any bears I've ever seen.
00:26:52.799 --> 00:27:02.319
I mean, they're they're they're they're four or five inches, uh uh four or five inches at least on the uh canines and just sharp and uh and thick.
00:27:02.559 --> 00:27:08.960
Now what's interesting about this big sea lion though was um it is what what we think what happened was he was sick.
00:27:09.119 --> 00:27:14.079
And so, and then he taught the yellow, the smaller one that was aggressive, uh, was learning his same behaviors.
00:27:14.160 --> 00:27:18.559
But this big one, without skinning him out, he just covered in worms.
00:27:19.039 --> 00:27:20.079
Just covered in worms.
00:27:20.319 --> 00:27:20.480
Really?
00:27:20.640 --> 00:27:21.759
Like I've never seen anything else.
00:27:21.920 --> 00:27:30.160
Yeah, maybe he'd be yeah, we're figuring that probably eating so many fish over such a long lifetime that it was covered, and then on top of that, he it looked like he had a tooth infection.
00:27:30.400 --> 00:27:37.279
And so it was it it just he was probably not feeling good, all pissed off and hungry and trying to grab whatever he could.
00:27:37.440 --> 00:27:38.079
Yeah, yeah.
00:27:38.240 --> 00:27:39.119
Oh, I got it here.
00:27:39.200 --> 00:27:44.640
So it said sea lines, it can be up to about a thousand uh pounds per square inch bite force.
00:27:44.880 --> 00:27:45.359
Holy.
00:27:45.599 --> 00:27:47.359
So that's that's a lot.
00:27:48.400 --> 00:27:49.200
It's a lot.
00:27:49.440 --> 00:27:49.920
Wow.
00:27:50.160 --> 00:27:53.119
Um Yeah, so those two hanging around the hybrid.
00:27:53.440 --> 00:27:56.160
Now, it is it odd that they got along.
00:27:57.279 --> 00:28:00.240
It it was a little bit now because both of them were males.
00:28:00.319 --> 00:28:08.400
And so typically what they'll do is that these big sea lions will have harems of females uh around them, and so like they'll have a bunch of females and uh they'll chase off other males.
00:28:08.559 --> 00:28:20.079
But it was weird that uh both of these were males and they were kind of hanging out, and and we call the big one the Beachmaster because that's like that that's their rank among other sea lions and like in the social structure, is that he really controls the territory.
00:28:20.480 --> 00:28:22.640
Like the he was the only like big male in the area.
00:28:22.720 --> 00:28:26.160
So I imagine once that little smaller little sea lion, air quote little.
00:28:26.480 --> 00:28:26.559
Yeah.
00:28:26.720 --> 00:28:30.160
But once that little sea lion probably hit a certain size, he might have gotten run off.
00:28:30.799 --> 00:28:31.599
Oh, okay.
00:28:31.839 --> 00:28:32.480
Yeah.
00:28:33.119 --> 00:28:33.680
Huh.
00:28:33.920 --> 00:28:35.920
Yeah, no, that's interesting.
00:28:36.079 --> 00:28:44.079
So the big one there, so there was there other females hanging around, or were those two just kind of exclusively the only ones in that area?
00:28:44.400 --> 00:28:45.920
Yeah, there's tons of females hanging around.
00:28:46.720 --> 00:28:48.559
Okay, but they're no they're no trouble to you guys.
00:28:48.720 --> 00:28:50.240
You guys never had an issue with them.
00:28:50.559 --> 00:28:54.079
No, so it's really only I I think it's only ever been the males that we've had issues with.
00:28:54.400 --> 00:28:58.160
The males are significantly more like aggressive towards each other, aggressive towards other animals.
00:28:58.319 --> 00:29:06.240
I mean, if you walk up on like where they're hauling out and it's and it's and it's breeding season, the males will still get aggressive like uh aggressive like ATH.
00:29:06.480 --> 00:29:08.000
It's like an animal going into rut, you know.
00:29:08.079 --> 00:29:10.880
I mean, they just get shots of testosterone and they're ready to go.
00:29:11.119 --> 00:29:11.599
Yeah.
00:29:11.839 --> 00:29:12.240
Huh.
00:29:12.480 --> 00:29:24.319
So if somebody if you guys had like a a non-local there and they were just going around, they see a sea line, they're like creeping up to take a picture, and these ones here where they didn't have that fear of people, like they could be in some real danger.
00:29:24.640 --> 00:29:25.759
Oh, 100%.
00:29:26.079 --> 00:29:44.000
And so that was kind of the fear too, is like for locals, but then we also have a pretty large uh like uh rental boat fleet that uh that well a few of non-locals, and we have all sorts of like like it was December when it happened, but in a few months we had bear hunters starting to come up and all sorts of people coming up for guided trips.
00:29:44.079 --> 00:29:49.279
So that's where it's like we got we had a problem we had to take care of in a relatively quick manner.
00:29:49.519 --> 00:29:53.119
Yeah, yeah, talk about a liability for uh tourist season.
00:29:53.440 --> 00:29:54.240
Oh, 100%.
00:29:54.799 --> 00:29:56.640
Great big monster like that.
00:29:56.799 --> 00:29:58.720
Uh yeah, going after people.
00:29:58.880 --> 00:30:03.680
So so he he was just he he lost his fear and he was just cranky with people.
00:30:04.079 --> 00:30:05.680
Yep, that's exactly it.
00:30:05.920 --> 00:30:09.039
Wow, and and so and then stalking people.
00:30:09.359 --> 00:30:27.839
I mean, that that's terrifying an animal that so I what they just kind of creep through the water at people or something like that, almost like a crocodile, or yeah, that's I mean, they'll dive, and so they're they're incredible swimmers, and so what's cra crazy is like uh I was in a canoe the other day out in front of town, we had a sea lion pop up right behind us out of nowhere, and it spooked me.
00:30:27.920 --> 00:30:31.759
I mean, I wasn't really afraid, I wasn't afraid of it once I realized what it was, but uh it spooked me a little bit.
00:30:31.839 --> 00:30:32.000
Yeah.
00:30:32.160 --> 00:30:37.680
Because uh they're just that they'll dive down 20, 30 feet in a in an instant and all of a sudden pop right back up.
00:30:38.000 --> 00:30:44.799
And so it's uh it's just uh it's it's crazy how fast like for how big they are, how fast they can disappear.
00:30:45.039 --> 00:30:45.680
Yeah, yeah.
00:30:45.759 --> 00:30:50.160
And then uh are they fairly intelligent animals too, do you find?
00:30:50.799 --> 00:30:52.799
You know, the they're definitely trainable.
00:30:52.880 --> 00:30:55.920
So that's where like when you start feeding them, they start, they start.
00:30:56.079 --> 00:30:58.720
I I I wouldn't say they're they're super intelligent.
00:30:59.279 --> 00:31:09.359
No, but um they start they definitely like at most predators start recognizing patterns, they start recognizing where to go to get the easy meals, and they'll hang around.
00:31:09.680 --> 00:31:10.559
Yeah, gee.
00:31:10.640 --> 00:31:21.279
So um so this one here, so what what did you end up doing with with all the Yeah, so um I ended up well, so I skinned it out, and it took me about five, six hours to skin it out by myself.
00:31:21.440 --> 00:31:22.720
I went through every knife I owned.
00:31:22.799 --> 00:31:23.359
Oh my gosh.
00:31:23.440 --> 00:31:25.359
It was I'd use a crane.
00:31:25.839 --> 00:31:29.920
And uh the height at some points was like two inches thick, if not a little more.
00:31:30.240 --> 00:31:31.839
So is it thick for that?
00:31:32.000 --> 00:31:35.839
Is it for fighting with other males or tolerating the cold water?
00:31:36.079 --> 00:31:36.880
Is that it?
00:31:36.960 --> 00:31:40.480
Yeah, it's I it's for fighting for both uh uh fighting for the most part.
00:31:40.640 --> 00:31:44.480
I mean, once it gets to get to a certain size, I mean they're that they'll fight each other all the time.
00:31:44.559 --> 00:31:50.319
And they have a pretty good bubble blubber blubber layer, and so uh they stay pretty warm that way.
00:31:50.400 --> 00:31:52.559
And their hair isn't super thick.
00:31:52.640 --> 00:31:54.240
It's it's uh mostly hollow.
00:31:54.400 --> 00:31:54.559
Okay.
00:31:54.880 --> 00:31:59.200
Um but it's not super thick, so they have good blubber layer and then they have that thick skin for fighting.
00:31:59.279 --> 00:32:01.519
So I mean they're just built to be tough.
00:32:01.839 --> 00:32:02.960
Be tough, tough animals.
00:32:03.200 --> 00:32:03.519
Yeah.
00:32:04.079 --> 00:32:04.720
Wow.
00:32:05.440 --> 00:32:14.559
Well, I suppose like the being that size, like when they're coming into shore and things like that, like you'd think if they were delicate, they'd break open on a rock, basically, right?
00:32:14.640 --> 00:32:21.680
But they've got that thick skin that they can be that heavy and come up on shore and just be able to, you know, scrape against rocks and stuff and not worry about it.
00:32:22.000 --> 00:32:22.880
Exactly.
00:32:23.119 --> 00:32:23.680
Exactly.
00:32:23.759 --> 00:32:27.599
And uh what's interesting is this guy how it was just all scarred up from fighting over the years.
00:32:27.680 --> 00:32:30.000
I mean, all over his body, he had scraps, his scars.
00:32:30.160 --> 00:32:34.960
I mean, I'm sure he probably had run-ins with other animals at some uh with uh killer whales at some.
00:32:35.200 --> 00:32:37.279
He had to have had run-ins with killer whales at some point.
00:32:37.519 --> 00:32:40.000
And so he had his height tells a story.
00:32:40.240 --> 00:32:46.559
But um I I want to say anywhere for uh between twenty and thirty at least.
00:32:46.799 --> 00:32:47.119
Wow.
00:32:47.279 --> 00:32:47.440
Okay.
00:32:48.640 --> 00:32:50.240
Like probably twenty-five, thirty years old.
00:32:50.480 --> 00:32:51.119
That's cool.
00:32:53.599 --> 00:33:00.640
But yeah, so you you can eat sea lion in the paint, and they're actually I've uh I've I've never actually harvested the meat off of one.
00:33:00.720 --> 00:33:07.279
But I'm going to start because I was still like I was talking about a group of people that tried it and they're like and really trying to revive some traditional practices.
00:33:07.359 --> 00:33:07.519
Yeah.
00:33:07.680 --> 00:33:10.640
And they're like, they're they're they're they're like, no, they're made of food.
00:33:10.799 --> 00:33:12.240
He's like, it's like eating beef.
00:33:12.400 --> 00:33:13.119
It's incredible.
00:33:13.680 --> 00:33:14.319
And so on.
00:33:14.640 --> 00:33:21.599
Yeah, this one I definitely didn't grab any meat off of though, because I because like I was saying, it was just kind of nasty, all warmed up and scarred up and old old and gross.
00:33:21.759 --> 00:33:27.680
But uh, so I ended up uh dumping the carcass and uh and then I I I regret this.
00:33:27.759 --> 00:33:30.559
I never held on to the head because I was so exhausted.
00:33:30.640 --> 00:33:32.400
I dealt with it for days and days on end.
00:33:32.640 --> 00:33:36.960
I flushed the high, I I got it, seen it out, flushed it, did all that.
00:33:37.039 --> 00:33:39.279
And it was just I was so exhausted, I was like, I don't even care.
00:33:39.359 --> 00:33:43.440
So when I dumped the body, I dumped the carcass, I I dumped the uh the head with it.
00:33:43.680 --> 00:33:49.519
But uh it was at the spine, I I kicked myself all the time because I was like, I want to go back and look for it, look for it.
00:33:49.599 --> 00:33:51.279
And I did, but I wasn't having been able to find it.
00:33:51.519 --> 00:33:52.960
Be good Eurofind that head.
00:33:53.440 --> 00:34:01.519
Oh man, that would have been an incredible Euro mount, but I was like, ah, I I I'm gonna I'm just leaving that one uh resolved that I'm gonna regret it.
00:34:01.599 --> 00:34:05.759
And I'm like, I'll just have to go get another euro uh another another sea line to get a euro mount.
00:34:06.000 --> 00:34:06.400
Yeah.
00:34:06.640 --> 00:34:06.960
Yeah.
00:34:07.119 --> 00:34:13.760
So uh tell how so it took that long to skin it, and you said what you went through all these knives and everything, like just so tough.
00:34:14.960 --> 00:34:16.559
Yep, it was insane.
00:34:16.719 --> 00:34:26.559
So we ended up uh so I ended up going through my normal skinning knives, and uh, and then I ended up using those Victorinoxes again, and I went through a bunch of Victorinoxes.
00:34:26.639 --> 00:34:27.920
I mean, it was just insane.
00:34:28.159 --> 00:34:39.599
And uh, but it took me about five, six hours to do it by myself, and then once I was done with it, I called up my brothers and they helped they helped me load everything up, get get it all taken care of, and uh and left from there.
00:34:39.760 --> 00:34:56.480
And then I have the I got the hide stand, uh, the hide stand uh at a tannery out of Anchorage, and um and now we actually our police department put in nine orders for uh we make trapper hats and all sorts of garments with it, and so it was nine orders for trapper hats for for the department and uh a sea otter and sea lion.
00:34:56.719 --> 00:34:59.119
So it's it's good but getting put to good use.
00:34:59.280 --> 00:34:59.840
Yeah, yeah.
00:35:00.000 --> 00:35:00.880
No, that's awesome.
00:35:00.960 --> 00:35:01.360
That's cool.
00:35:01.440 --> 00:35:07.360
I I was just curious, uh, yeah, what you guys end up doing with there's so much to uh to deal with.
00:35:08.079 --> 00:35:09.280
Yeah, oh my gosh.
00:35:09.440 --> 00:35:10.400
It's tons of hide.
00:35:10.639 --> 00:35:12.719
And then I have a few other ideas that I'm working on with it.
00:35:12.800 --> 00:35:14.320
I'm kind of taking my time with it though.
00:35:14.480 --> 00:35:20.400
We got a lot going on, and uh, I got the hides that I I just I'll pull them out and show people just because it's pretty incredible.
00:35:20.639 --> 00:35:20.960
Yeah.
00:35:21.119 --> 00:35:22.239
Oh, absolutely.
00:35:22.400 --> 00:35:30.639
So with it gone, with those two gone, do you think that anything will take its place or it could be a long time, or what are your predictions?
00:35:31.840 --> 00:35:34.480
I even so that happened a little while ago.
00:35:34.639 --> 00:35:41.599
We'll see some big males uh out out in front of town at uh in the water uh in front of our harbors, but nothing nearly as aggressive.
00:35:41.760 --> 00:35:44.079
Like nothing nearly as aggressive.
00:35:44.159 --> 00:35:48.480
That and our chief our chief of police always jokes, he's like, if they do, I got my local exterminator ready.
00:35:48.559 --> 00:35:49.840
So Yeah, yeah.
00:35:50.079 --> 00:35:54.159
Yeah, well, yeah, you know you're all set now, you guys know what's going on.
00:35:54.480 --> 00:35:57.920
Yeah, we got we we got our uh got our program down.
00:35:58.800 --> 00:35:59.840
Yeah, absolutely.
00:36:00.000 --> 00:36:08.639
Um so yeah, no, I was just wondering that it but you say it for them to be that aggressive and actually be targeting people and stuff, it's it's fairly rare, even with the big males.
00:36:09.039 --> 00:36:13.039
Oh yeah, I so for for them to be targeting people, that's definitely a learned behavior.
00:36:13.199 --> 00:36:16.320
And so that typically they don't bother people.
00:36:16.400 --> 00:36:19.280
And so even with these big males coming in, they'll leave us alone.
00:36:19.360 --> 00:36:24.960
As long as they aren't getting fed and they aren't getting getting sick, uh, typically they're not too much to be concerned about.
00:36:25.280 --> 00:36:25.519
Right.
00:36:25.679 --> 00:36:26.079
Yeah.
00:36:26.320 --> 00:36:33.360
Um, so in your area though, have you guys ever heard of like dogs going missing or anything from sea lions?
00:36:34.000 --> 00:36:38.559
You know, the every once in a while, uh not too much from sea lions.
00:36:38.639 --> 00:36:46.000
Um every once in a while you hear people that tell stories of like a sea lion went after my dog, but typically they're not not often.
00:36:46.800 --> 00:36:47.119
Okay.
00:36:47.360 --> 00:36:52.719
Yeah, I was just I was just wondering what if you guys had like that worry there or not really.
00:36:53.119 --> 00:36:57.199
Yeah I mean well, we're we're definitely pull our dogs out of the water if there's a sea line around.
00:36:57.280 --> 00:37:06.239
Like but uh typically the they they aren't really targeting them, so we we leave we tend they tend to leave us alone.
00:37:06.480 --> 00:37:15.840
And then um and then our b our bigger concern is just like is uh our b honestly our bigger concern is just the wolves and the bears around their dogs.
00:37:16.079 --> 00:37:18.239
Right, yeah, wolves are just brutal.
00:37:18.320 --> 00:37:20.320
And then you guys have grizzlies too there.
00:37:20.400 --> 00:37:22.559
So I mean what's yeah, what's that like?
00:37:22.639 --> 00:37:30.639
You guys got sea lion monster beasts in the in your hire birth and all that there, and then you guys go out in the woods and then bam, grizzlies.
00:37:30.960 --> 00:37:36.079
I'll tell you what, I never go fishing and I never go home out in the woods or hiking or anything without a 44 mag.
00:37:36.320 --> 00:37:39.840
So I keep it on me.
00:37:40.000 --> 00:37:46.079
But uh, you know, our our b our brown bears that we have here, we don't have nearly as many as we do black, but there are some around.
00:37:46.559 --> 00:37:50.079
But typically we we don't have to worry about them too much around here.
00:37:50.239 --> 00:37:52.159
Um black bears, we don't gotta worry about.
00:37:52.239 --> 00:37:53.679
I mean, I'm sure you're familiar with black bears.
00:37:53.920 --> 00:37:57.920
They aren't that they they're not that terrible thing to be concerned about.
00:37:58.079 --> 00:37:58.320
No.
00:37:58.559 --> 00:38:07.519
Um so we we definitely keep our head on a swivel though, and we'd be bear aware, and then when we're when we're on the water around sea lions, um we all always keep a head out.
00:38:07.599 --> 00:38:11.679
We try to be careful around them and uh just not feed them, not get them used to people.
00:38:11.840 --> 00:38:12.480
Yeah.
00:38:13.039 --> 00:38:14.239
Yeah, that that's the problem.
00:38:14.400 --> 00:38:22.880
I mean, I've read books and stuff like that on like animal attacks uh and things, and where it's wolves or it's bears or even mountain lines sometimes.
00:38:23.119 --> 00:38:34.719
And it's w you hear about this all it turns, you know, you'll hear about an attack, and like all it turns out there was a log truck driver in this remote area that used to feed this wolf part of a sandwich or a bear and things like that.
00:38:35.280 --> 00:38:38.239
People don't understand you you're doing so much damage.
00:38:38.400 --> 00:38:43.119
You've just signed that animal's death warrant or somebody else's because of the, you know.
00:38:43.440 --> 00:38:43.920
Exactly.
00:38:44.079 --> 00:38:46.800
You hear like a fed bear is a dead bear, so that's exactly it.
00:38:47.039 --> 00:38:47.199
Yeah.
00:38:47.519 --> 00:38:55.199
And uh and what's funny is uh is we actually this last year, so uh we had a we have a black we had a black bear problem in town getting into trash cans.
00:38:55.280 --> 00:38:59.840
I mean, that's not unusual for Alaska, but these bears are starting to get up, we're starting to get pretty emboldened.
00:38:59.920 --> 00:39:07.440
And we actually had this one little like it's probably uh it was probably like 90 or 100-pound black bear actually uh poke his head into someone's kitchen during a barbecue.
00:39:07.679 --> 00:39:11.360
And that black bear, that black bear got the like I said, Fed Bear, dead bear.
00:39:11.440 --> 00:39:19.280
That black bear got euthanized by our local police department, and um they ended up giving the hide and the skull to our local tribe, and they're like, we don't know what to do with it.
00:39:19.360 --> 00:39:20.559
And so they're like, Brandon, do you want it?
00:39:20.639 --> 00:39:22.079
I'm like, sure, I'll take it.
00:39:22.320 --> 00:39:24.880
And so it's just the same kind of deal.
00:39:24.960 --> 00:39:28.639
It's uh it's uh fed bear, we gotta just always gotta be vigilant.
00:39:28.719 --> 00:39:32.239
Don't feed the wildlife, keep a uh keep them wild.
00:39:32.639 --> 00:39:34.159
Yeah, yeah, exactly.
00:39:34.320 --> 00:39:39.199
Um so then and then you do a little bit of hunting for uh seals too, as well, do you?
00:39:39.440 --> 00:39:41.280
Yep, I do seal and sea otter mostly.
00:39:41.440 --> 00:39:43.039
And so they're big.
00:39:43.119 --> 00:39:50.400
The sea otters are I've I trap, I do a bit of trapping here, and the pictures I saw that you had the sea sea otter, they're good size.
00:39:50.719 --> 00:39:53.920
Oh yeah, so I mean the biggest one we've ever gotten was like 110 pounds.
00:39:54.159 --> 00:39:59.440
So on average we're going after yeah, they're huge, and so they and those suckers can be mean.
00:39:59.679 --> 00:40:02.239
I mean, I do you get any uh river otters around yet?
00:40:02.480 --> 00:40:15.760
Um not that I've seen like we yeah, we've got we've got uh like just regular otters that I've trapped here, and like the biggest one, um maybe I don't know, uh 35 pounds, maybe.
00:40:16.559 --> 00:40:28.320
I have seen videos though, like I wouldn't I've got coon hounds and the you know hunt hunting coon and stuff, and I've seen videos of like uh just a regular otter taking on coyotes and like whooping their butt.
00:40:28.880 --> 00:40:31.199
So I would not have my dogs.
00:40:31.360 --> 00:40:37.039
We came across one once when we were out coon hunting, and I saw what it was, I'm like, no, I'm like, get out of there.
00:40:38.079 --> 00:40:38.559
Yeah.
00:40:38.719 --> 00:40:43.360
No, they are, I mean, so otters are just they're giant rodents that are just mean.
00:40:43.920 --> 00:40:47.599
They're just mean, so that's where sea otters can get they can get pretty mean too.
00:40:47.840 --> 00:40:49.679
So that's where uh that's always fun.
00:40:49.840 --> 00:40:50.320
That's always fun.
00:40:50.480 --> 00:40:52.159
We're using varmint rounds when we hunt for them.
00:40:52.239 --> 00:40:53.599
I'm using a 17 HMR.
00:40:53.840 --> 00:40:54.159
Oh, yeah.
00:40:55.679 --> 00:40:57.199
It does the trick, that's for sure.
00:40:57.280 --> 00:40:58.639
But uh the thing is you have to hit it.
00:40:58.880 --> 00:41:00.400
The shop placement is everything.
00:41:00.480 --> 00:41:05.440
And if shot placement's a little bit off of the 17 HMR, I'll reach into the water to grab a sea otter after we get it.
00:41:05.599 --> 00:41:07.360
And uh, I've had them turn on me before.
00:41:07.519 --> 00:41:08.320
That's scary.
00:41:08.880 --> 00:41:10.960
Like, that's oh my gosh.
00:41:11.119 --> 00:41:16.400
I mean, it's just like that they are they are meters not and just strong.
00:41:16.559 --> 00:41:22.239
And so that's where it's like when they've turned on me, put them back in the water and figure out how to get how to get at it and like put it down.
00:41:22.400 --> 00:41:23.920
But yeah, it's it's insane.
00:41:24.159 --> 00:41:24.639
That's crazy.
00:41:24.719 --> 00:41:28.960
You've grabbed them and like thinking they were dead, and they're like, no, I'm gonna, I'm gonna bite you.
00:41:29.119 --> 00:41:31.840
Oh yeah, we've we've had them like grab try and grab onto us.
00:41:32.000 --> 00:41:35.119
And seal, I mean, uh seal are are different.
00:41:35.280 --> 00:41:39.440
Seal are like they're they're a pretty easy animal to harvest, all things considered.
00:41:39.599 --> 00:41:44.719
And so um, but sea otters are just the the toughest animal I've ever I've ever seen in my life.
00:41:44.960 --> 00:41:45.199
Really?
00:41:45.440 --> 00:41:46.159
That's for sure.
00:41:46.320 --> 00:41:46.719
Oh yeah.
00:41:46.880 --> 00:41:47.039
Wow.
00:41:47.199 --> 00:41:48.000
I can't believe they're gonna be able to get it.
00:41:49.840 --> 00:41:50.320
Oh yeah.
00:41:50.480 --> 00:41:54.480
No, they they get huge and the softest fur in the world, too, with over a million hairs per square inch.
00:41:54.639 --> 00:41:57.599
Yeah, so they can withstand those cold temperatures so easily.
00:41:57.760 --> 00:42:03.679
I know fur, I I wish it would make the comeback because I mean, it is so nice.
00:42:03.840 --> 00:42:07.840
I mean, fur and then I used to I used to raise sheep or raise cows now, but and wool.
00:42:08.000 --> 00:42:12.480
Yeah I mean, nature's natural fibers are just so incredible.
00:42:12.559 --> 00:42:13.760
They work so well.
00:42:14.480 --> 00:42:18.639
Yep, and it keeps you warm and it's yeah, it's that's the best and and sustainable.
00:42:18.719 --> 00:42:22.320
That's what I tell people all the time is that is uh it's fur is sustainable.
00:42:22.400 --> 00:42:25.519
It's a it's a great good better for the environment than any other material.
00:42:25.840 --> 00:42:27.280
Yeah, oh absolutely.
00:42:27.519 --> 00:42:29.440
And um Yeah, that's that's crazy.
00:42:29.519 --> 00:42:31.440
I had no idea that sea otters got that big.
00:42:33.199 --> 00:42:38.159
I want to say maybe twenty-five pounds, give or take, is the biggest one I've gotten.
00:42:38.320 --> 00:42:38.559
Long.
00:42:38.639 --> 00:42:45.840
I've gotten some long ones, but um I'd never want to wrestle with them or anything, but I I can't imagine over a hundred pounds.
00:42:45.920 --> 00:42:46.880
That's crazy.
00:42:47.039 --> 00:42:47.920
So yeah.
00:42:48.159 --> 00:42:48.800
Oh yeah.
00:42:49.039 --> 00:42:53.760
Um now what would they have many predators come at them?
00:42:55.119 --> 00:43:03.280
Basically the same thing as uh same thing as sea lions is the killer whales, and then uh when the young the young will get predated by uh by eagles.
00:43:03.440 --> 00:43:03.599
Right.
00:43:03.920 --> 00:43:08.639
Eagles and then if the wolves every once in a while, but that not super often.
00:43:08.960 --> 00:43:13.360
No, the wolves would have to be pretty ambitious to try to go after one of them, wouldn't they?
00:43:13.679 --> 00:43:17.679
Yeah, I mean the sea otters will haul out, and it's pretty it's it's not super uncommon.
00:43:18.000 --> 00:43:21.760
I mean uh but what when they're hauled out, the wolves wolves are opportunistic.
00:43:21.840 --> 00:43:30.320
They'll go they'll go after them if they're hauled out, but uh that's it's not nearly as common as like wolves going after deer or anything else, or I I even say beavers probably.
00:43:30.639 --> 00:43:31.920
Oh, okay, yeah, yeah.
00:43:32.000 --> 00:43:34.400
We have a lot of beavers picked up here by uh the bears.
00:43:34.559 --> 00:43:37.039
The bears will definitely come and go after them.
00:43:37.119 --> 00:43:37.599
Yeah.
00:43:37.840 --> 00:43:40.000
Um yeah, that that's that's really cool.
00:43:40.079 --> 00:43:42.480
And then the seal, so do you guys eat the seal?
00:43:42.800 --> 00:43:44.000
Oh yeah, so we do all sorts of.
00:43:44.239 --> 00:43:45.599
We use just about the entire seal.
00:43:45.679 --> 00:43:56.880
So we'll get like we'll we'll render the fat into oil, we'll uh you use the hides, um the liver, uh the live the liver is like a common delicacy amount among our people.
00:43:56.960 --> 00:44:00.559
I don't I don't eat it all that often, but uh and then the intestines.
00:44:00.719 --> 00:44:04.400
The intestines are actually I mean the small intestines are actually a quick delicacy.
00:44:04.639 --> 00:44:09.920
And uh I'll try and keep them all the time, uh, whenever I can, but sometimes just easier to leave them in the gut pile.
00:44:10.559 --> 00:44:19.440
Um and then the meat, we'll we'll we'll butcher the meat, I'll butcher up the meat, and uh and usually whenever I whenever I get a steal, it's getting passed around around to elders and everything.
00:44:19.519 --> 00:44:27.760
I'll I'll take some of the meat myself, but uh but but I I much I'm uh truth be told, I much prefer deer and moose and duck and yeah, yeah.
00:44:28.000 --> 00:44:31.599
I've never had a I'd like to try it, like I said, where they opened up the season here.
00:44:31.760 --> 00:44:33.760
Uh it's by lottery only.
00:44:33.840 --> 00:44:38.000
I'd I put in for it, I'm hoping sometime to get it just something cool, something unique.
00:44:38.159 --> 00:44:39.360
Um 100%.
00:44:40.239 --> 00:44:42.880
But with the amount of fish and stuff, dear, because what is it?
00:44:43.039 --> 00:44:44.800
I can't remember, is it polar bear or something?
00:44:44.880 --> 00:44:51.280
You can't eat their liver, something like that, because of the amount of fish that they eat, but the there's no issue with eating anything.
00:44:51.679 --> 00:44:57.760
I think it's the mercury levels or something, but there's no issue with eating anything on the seals.
00:44:58.880 --> 00:44:59.760
You know, not much.
00:44:59.840 --> 00:45:02.639
So the biggest thing is that you gotta make sure you take care of it properly.
00:45:02.719 --> 00:45:05.920
If uh if you take care of it improperly, botulism can be a problem.
00:45:06.079 --> 00:45:06.159
Right.
00:45:06.400 --> 00:45:07.599
But besides that, not much.
00:45:07.679 --> 00:45:12.400
But hey, Ken, I actually um I'm actually having to take off, and I really appreciate you having me on here.
00:45:12.639 --> 00:45:13.119
Yeah, yeah.
00:45:13.199 --> 00:45:18.960
No, um hey, thanks for giving me your time, and uh I wish you the best of luck and like to talk to you again.
00:45:19.119 --> 00:45:21.920
And this was really interesting, Brandon, and I appreciate it.
00:45:22.159 --> 00:45:23.119
Yeah, one hundred percent.
00:45:23.199 --> 00:45:26.719
Yeah, I appreciate you having me on, and uh well yeah, definitely would love to talk to you again.
00:45:26.960 --> 00:45:27.360
Perfect.
00:45:27.440 --> 00:45:28.320
All right, take care.
00:45:28.639 --> 00:45:29.360
All right, you too.
00:45:29.440 --> 00:45:30.320
All right, bye bye.